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TFC's Jermain Defoe has to win lineup spot back, teammate says

Midfielder Jackson suspended an additional game as squad prepares to host Timbers on Saturday.

TFC forward Gilberto said the team's offence has been playing well since star striker Jermain Defoe went down with injury. (Carlos Osorio / Toronto Star file photo)

By The Canadian Press

Fri., Sept. 26, 2014

Brazilian forward Gilberto says English star Jermain Defoe will have to win back his starting position with Toronto FC.

Defoe returned to the club this week after nursing a groin injury in England. While TFC hosts the Portland Timbers on Saturday, he is not expected to play until Oct. 4 in Los Angeles against the Galaxy at the earliest.

Asked if he and Defoe had developed a good rapport on the field earlier in the season, Gilberto said the relationship between the forwards had always been good.

He then talked up the team attack in Defoe’s absence.

“Our strikers have been playing well, Luke (Moore) has been playing well since Defoe’s been gone, for about four to six weeks,” he said Friday through an interpreter. “So it’s kind of like Defoe has to win his spot back on the team because our strikers are playing really well now. We’ve got other guys that are training really hard and fighting and Defoe’s got to start training hard now and working to get back into game shape.”

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Defoe leads the team with 11 goals in 16 games. Gilbert has seven in 24 outings, while Moore has six in 21 games.

Toronto coach Greg Vanney says Defoe has been working out on alternate days, with sessions followed by a recovery day.

“His work days have been pretty heavy in terms of change of directions, sprinting. He’s starting to do real soccer movements and starting to get some touches on the ball . . . Our intention is to have him in full training by next week.”

Vanney said the team will work him gradually into team training sessions.

“As long as he is feeling confident and he’s not having any reaction, then we just need to keep going through our back-to-sport protocols.”

Meanwhile, TFC midfielder Jackson has been handed an additional one-game ban for his red card last week. Vanney said Friday he has spoken to the Brazilian about losing his cool.

Upset that Chivas USA midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker was not called for a foul on him, Jackson took matters into his own hands in the 66th minute of Toronto’s 3-0 win last Sunday. Jackson promptly took Reo-Coker down with a scissors tackle, then kicked up at the English player. Reo-Coker shoved Jackson, only to be slapped by the Brazilian. Both players were ejected. Reo-Coker got the standard one-game ban that comes with a red card. Jackson, who missed one game earlier this season though suspension, got a two-game ban.

Vanney said he was not surprised by the additional suspension and “not very excited” about the misconduct that warranted it.

“It was sort of in a time of the game where our emotions should really be in check, because we were up and he’s very aware of that,” said Vanney. “It was really sort of a personal conflict and we don’t really have time for personal conflicts in a moment where we are pushing for playoff spots.”

Toronto FC looks to build on a modest run of good form Saturday as it hosts the Timbers in a matchup of MLS teams on the playoff bubble. The Timbers leapfrogged Vancouver with their 3-0 win over the visiting Whitecaps last weekend to move into the last playoff position in the West, sitting in fifth spot with a 9-8-12 record. Seventh-place Toronto is three points out of the playoff picture in the East with a 10-11-7 record.

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